Interlocking panel jacket structure for air conditioning and heating equipment



Oct. 24, 1950 s. J. LEVINE 2,527,226

INTERLOCKING PANEL JACKET STRUCTURE FOR AIR CONDITIONING AND HEATING EQUIPMENT Filed Dec. 20, 1946 I I I I I.

f 32 r J o n Y F e t vu m s a y b Patented Oct. 24, 1950 I T11??? INTERLOCKING PANEL JACKET STRUCTURE FoR AIR CONDITIONING AND HEATING EQUIPMENT a 1 Samuel J. Levine, West Orange, N; J., assignor to General Electric Com New York pany, a corporation of Application December 20, 1946, Serial No. 717,492 2 Claims. (Cl. 126-114) The invention relates to panel jackets suitable 'for enclosing air conditioning apparatus or the like while providing ready access to the apparatus for servicing, repair, and replacement of parts.

of the figure is provided with complementary interlocking pairs of opposing rectangular panels having flanged edges comprising as shown the two opposing side panels I and I I, the detachable The invention relates particularly to inter- 5 rear panel [2 and the front readily removable aclocking flanged edge sheet metal pane1 jacket cess door panel [3. In the preferred form shown structures suitable for a forced circulation warm the front access door panel I3 is divided into two air furnace requiring, among other things, 'departs, 13a and [32). Since the gas fired warm tachably interconnected back, side, and top panels air furnace enclosed in the jacket of the type and a readily removable front access door panel, shown is intended to be factory assembled and cold air inlet and warm air outlet sections inside shipped as a unit, the jacket is provided with an the jacket with the transverse s'ectionalizing parattached bottom plate M. The jacket top panel titions carried by the jacket side panels for 'supl5 covers only part of the top so as to provide porting the furnace parts inside the jacket and space for the warm air outlet opening l6. also metal radiation screens mounted in inner 15 The side panel I 0 has a series of right angle spaced apart relation with the jacket walls around bends in the vertical edges thereto to form inthe combustion chamber to provide confined air wardly facing corner channel conduit columns space thermal insulation. IS with inner angle attachment strip extensions One object of the invention is to provide an I9 so as to impart substantial load bearing improved form of integral re-enforced rabbeted strength and form retaining stiffness to the enc0rner column interlocking rectangular panel tire jacket structure as well as provide relatively jacket assembly that is particularly adapted for tight rabbet joints for the detachable back panel meeting the various warm air furnace require- !2 and'the readily removable front access door ments of the character indicated above and still 13. The opposing side panel H is formed in the can be used with advantage for enclosing other same way and the two side panels l0 and II are forms of air conditioning apparatus or the like if aligned in opposition by means of the several desired. spaced apart transverse members that are at- A particular object is to provide an improved tached to and extend therebetween. Thus the rectangular jacket structure formed of complebottom plate It has the flanged edge Ma abutting mentary interlocking pairs of cornerwise abutting against the inside of the side pane1 I0 and sethin sheet metal panels having flanged edges with cured thereto by suitable screws or bolts II. In each corner of the jacket re-enforced by a triple the same way the opposite flanged edge I 4b is right angle bending of each vertical edge of an secured to the side panel H. The other flanged opposing pair of side panelsinto inwardly facedges [40 and Md of plate [4 are each secured ing channel conduit columns with arr-angle strip by screws or bolts to the inner attachment strip extension therefrom to impart substantialload l9 so as to brace the two side panels [0 and H bearing strength and form retaining stiffnes to in spaced apart upright opposing relation. In the entire jacket structur in addition to prothe same way, the intermediate partition 20 has viding relatively tight rabbet joints for a readily its flanged edges secured to the two opposing side removable front access door panel as well as a panels I0 and 'l l and the corresponding attachdetachable back panel and also providing an inment strips [9 thereof. In addition the two ner spaced apart panel or screenand transverse spaced apart Z strips 22 and 23 are secured by partition attachment and bracing strip as well screws to and extend between the attachment as a through longitudinal conduit useful for pipstrips l9 at the rear vertical edges of the side ing or electric wiring at each corner of the jacket. 1;) panels I0 and II so that the rear panel l2 may Further objects and advantages of the invenbe detachably interconnected in edgewise abuttion will appear in the following description of ting relation with the rabbet corner joints prothe accompanying drawing in which the single vided by the combined channel conduit columns figure is a perspective View partially broken away I8 and the angle extensions IS. The rear panel in section to show the details of a'rectangular so 12 is detach-ably secured in place by screws ensheet metal interlocking panel jacket embodying the improvements of the present invention in a preferred form and adapted for enclosing a gas fired forced circulation warm air furnace' g The'improved rectangular sheet metal jacket gaging with the transverse 2 members 22 and 23 The intermediate transverse partition 20 divides the furnace jacket into two compartments B and C. In the upper compartment C the gas "fired combustion chamber and heat transfer surpartition 20.

faces, not shown, are to be mounted and supported jointly by the transverse partition 20 and the top panel which is provided with a flue outlet opening 24 to form a surrounding hollowedout mounting well for the flue connection of the gas fired furnace.

In the lower compartment B of the furnace jacket the air circulating blower 25 indicated by dotted lines is mounted together with its driving motor, not shown. Preferably, the blower scroll 25 is suspended directly from the transverse partition 210 with a suitable opening 26 cut through the partition for projecting air from the scroll 25 upwardly over the heat transfer surfaces ,enclosed within the upper compartment 0.

The improved interlocking jacket structure makes it easy to provide adequate heat insulation around the furnace combustion chamber and heat transfer parts enclosed within the upper compartment C. Thus the thin sheet metal radiation screen 30 extends between the partition 20 and the top of the jacket in inner spaced apart but tight relation with the jacket side panel l0, since the vertical edges of screen 30 are inwardly flanged so as to fit in matching engagement with the inner angle extensions IS. The opposite side panel l l is provided with a similarly spaced apart and supported radiation screen 3!. Likewise the back panel 12 is heat insulated by means of an inner radiation screen 32 which is mounted on the outside of the inner angle extensions l9 so that the screens 30, 3! and 32 may be secured to the angle extensions H? by the same fastening screws. The top panel I?) has downwardly flanged edges and is provided with an inner heat insulating radiation screen 33 with the top radiation screen 33 and the top panel l5 held-in place on top of the furnace structure by holdin screws passing through central openings 35 with the edges supported along the top edges of the radia- "tion' screens 30, 3! and 32.

The edges of the top radiation screen 33 are formed so that this screen 'will abut tightly against the top channel edges of the inside panels I6 and II and also against the upper edge of the back radiation screen 32 in relatively airtight sealing relation. The projecting part 30a of the radiation screen 30, together with the corresponding projecting part 3la of the opposite radiation screen 3| and the up turned edge 33a of the top radiation screen 33 "and also the upper edge of the front radiation screen 31 form a'rectangular collar that enables a warm air distribution duct to be attached tightly to the furnace jacket.

The upper front radiation screen 31 is secured to the outside of the front angle attachment strips ill in the same way as the back radiation screen 32. The narrow upper rounded front lintel section 38 is secured along with the radiation screen 3'! and extends transversely between the side panels l0 and I l in alignment with the upper edge of the upper access door 130. and carries suitable spaced apart sprin catches 39a. for frictionally engaging with the upper end of the door 'l3a to hold the door in the closed position in which the flanged vertical edges of the door engage with the opposing pair of rabbet joints provided by the opposing front corner channels l8 and the angle extensions H).

The bottom door 131) is provided with bent-over hooked sections ,39 and 48 for engaging respectively with the front flanged edges of the bottom plate l4 and the flanged edges of a dropped floor 29a of a vertical dividing wall 4e attached to the intermediate Similarly the lower edge of the After the upper door l3a. is removed, the supporting hooks of the lower door 331) then can readily be detached.

The recessed vertical dividing wall it with the sloping extension 44a and the inner radiation screen 45 joining the upper front radiation screen 3! are provided. for enclosing the front of the combustion. chamber and heat transfer surfaces in the compartment C and thus serv as radiation screens. The edges of the vertical wall 44 and sloping extension 440, are flanged so as to be interconnected by suitable screw fasteners in tight relation with the side radiation screens 30 and 3|. This provides a control chamber D with a dropped floor 20a between the upper front door l3 and the vertical dividing wall 44 for installation of the gas furnace control and pressure regulating valves, not shown, that are connected with the burners extending through the opening 42 in the vertical wall 44. The upper door panel 13a is provided with suitable slots 43 for admission of combustion air into the control chamber and through the opening 42 to the burners.

A cold air inlet into the furnace jacket may be cut in either or both of the side panels H1 or II as required by the installation for admission of return air into the blower compartment B.

. Where the improved interlocking flanged edge sheet metal .panel jacket structure of the present invention is to be used to enclose other forms of air conditioning apparatus, in which the bottomplate l4 and the intermediate partition 20 are not required, then it is only necessary to provide suitably spaced apart transverse angles or Z members similar to the members 22 and 23 for engaging with the hooked edges of the removable front access doors l3a and l3b with these transverse members attached .to and braced by the angle extensions IQ of the aligned side panels l0 and II. Furthermore, if desired, the front access door may be formed in one solid piece rather than in two parts. In each case, the corner columns l8 provide conduits extending from the top to the bottom at each corner of the jacket for receiving piping or electric wiring for ready connection with the air conditioning apparatus enclosed within the jacket.

What I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A jacket for air conditioning apparatus and the like comprising pairs of oppositely facing rectangular panels defining a rectangular enclosure, each panel of one of said pairs of panels having its edges at the corners of said enclosure bent along spaced parallel lines to form a pair of oppositely. facing inwardly opening channels and attachment strips extending from the inner edges of said channels normal to and away from the panel, said channels constitutin corner columns for said jacket, the corresponding edges of the panels of another of said pairs being bent to provide flanges fitting within. the corners formed by said channels and said attachment strips whereby .rabbet joints are provided. ,at said corners, means including transverse members attached tosaid strips for connecting; the

panels of said first pair, means for securing the panels of said second pair in engagement with said corner columns, and metal screens spaced from said jacket and carried by and extending between said corner columns inside said jacket to provide heat insulating air spaces between said screens and the walls of said jacket.

2. A unitary enclosing jacket and supporting structure for an air conditioning apparatus comprisin pairs of oppositely facing rectangular panels defining a rectangular enclosure, each panel of one of said pairs of panels having its edges at the corners of said enclosure bent along spaced parallel lines to form a pair of oppositely facing inwardly opening channels and attachment strips extending from the inner edges of said channels normal to and away from the panel, a transverse floor member having flanged edges secured to said attachment strips for providing a bottom for said enclosure, a transverse member having an air outlet opening and arranged at the upper extremity of said panels to provide a top for said enclosure, an inter- REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,167,104 Ott Jan. 4, 1916 1,238,215 Terrell Aug. 28, 1917 2,115,720 Holmes May 3, 1938 2,319,403 Hill May 18, 1943 2,328,757 Tinnerman Sept. 7, 1943 2,378,485 Jones June 19, 1945 2,400,150 Jones May 14, 1946 

